“Our longstanding commitment to fostering a sustainable campus climate is integral to our mission of research and educational excellence—and to helping us building stronger, more vibrant communities.”

Satish K. Tripathi, President

University at Buffalo

UB bought more than 44 million kilowatt-hours of green power,
about 20 percent of the university’s electricity usage, for
the 2011-12 academic year. That’s up from 22 million
kilowatt-hours, or roughly 10 percent, in 2009-10, an indication
that UB is moving toward reaching its goal of becoming climate
neutral by 2030.

In fact, with the opening the new 3,200-panel Solar Strand on
the North Campus and additional renewable-energy purchases, about
30 percent of the university’s power will be coming from
renewable sources.

UB’s 2011-12 purchase is equivalent to avoiding a
year’s worth of carbon dioxide emissions from nearly 6,000
passenger vehicles, according to the EPA’s Green Power
Partnership program, which tracks the use of green power among 73
institutions of higher learning.

Well ahead of its peers in the Mid-American Conference, UB was
named Individual Conference Champion by the EPA.

“EPA applauds the University at Buffalo as the
Mid-American Conference Champion in this year’s College and
University Green Power Challenge, as well as its appearance on the
national Top 20 College & University list,” says Blaine
Collison, director of EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
“By both purchasing renewable electricity and generating it
on site, the University at Buffalo is actively reducing its carbon
footprint and setting an example for others to follow.”

President Satish K. Tripathi says the award underscores the
university’s efforts to promote renewable energy and improve
energy efficiency both on and off its three campuses.

“We are honored to be recognized by the EPA as a leading
campus purchaser of green power, and we are especially grateful for
the EPA’s appreciation for the critical role our
nation’s colleges and universities play in developing and
implementing environmentally sustainable solutions for the 21st
century,” he says. “At the University at Buffalo, our
longstanding commitment to fostering a sustainable campus climate
is integral to our mission of research and educational
excellence—and to helping us building stronger, more vibrant
communities, locally as well as globally.”

In 2007, UB was among the first 150 institutions of higher
learning to pledge to reduce or offset all of its greenhouse-gas
emissions by signing the American College and University
Presidents’ Climate Commitment. The pact, now signed by 675
colleges and universities, requires the signatories to make an
inventory of their carbon emissions and create a plan to make each
campus climate neutral.

UB has a 6,300-square-foot solar-panel installation on the roof
of Norton Hall on the North Campus that can generate up to 73.5
kilowatts of electricity. The university also purchases renewable
energy, primarily wind power, that is produced in the Buffalo
Niagara region and Pennsylvania.

The university’s green-power portfolio grew last week when
the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and UB officials flipped the
switch on a 750-kilowatt solar array on the North Campus. Designed
by world-renowned landscape architect Walter Hood and funded by
NYPA, the Solar Strand measures 140 feet across and is
approximately a quarter-mile long. It not only provides power, but
is also a demonstration project intended to test and advance
development of solar technologies in New York State and beyond for
years to come.

UB also is finding innovative ways to reduce its electricity
consumption. Last August, it opened Greiner Hall, a student
residence building that was designed to “gold” under
the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design rating system. The building has
high-efficiency lighting, low-flow faucets and other
environment-friendly features.

Greiner Hall is one of six structures designed to earn LEED
certification, the standard for green building. The other
facilities opened or soon to open on UB’s three campuses are
Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, an engineering building on the North
Campus; UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center,
which occupies the top floors of the new UB-Kaleida Health medical
research building on the Downtown Campus; Crossroads Culinary
Center, a student dining facility in the Ellicott Complex, North
Campus; John and Editha Kapoor Hall, a pharmacy building on the
South Campus; and the Educational Opportunity Center, currently
under construction as part of the UB Downtown Gateway.

As a result of these efforts, UB has been able cut carbon
emissions by 23 percent during the past 10 years. During the same
time, square footage of the university’s facilities grew
nearly 7 percent.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that
encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the
environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The
partnership currently has more than 1,300 partner organizations
voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power
annually. Partners include a variety of leading organizations, such
as Fortune 500® companies; small- and medium-sized businesses;
local, state and federal governments; and colleges and
universities.

For more information about EPA’s College and University
Green Power Challenge, visit the challenge
website.